


More Than Just a Card

by chibi_nightowl



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Father's Day, Gen, Relationship Woes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 00:51:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20684783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi_nightowl/pseuds/chibi_nightowl
Summary: Jason snorted. “When did you get to be so wise, old man?”“I’ve got more than a few miles under my belt,” Bruce replied.





	More Than Just a Card

**Author's Note:**

> Posted this on Tumblr for Father's Day. It's short enough it should be in Ficlets, but I think it deserves to be a standalone piece. Edited from the original.

Bruce was used to receiving utterly insane cards from his children, whether it was his birthday, Christmas, or Father’s Day. Sometimes an actual meaningful card was slipped in, but mostly, humor and sarcasm reigned supreme. He knew he wasn’t the perfect dad (case in point, his children were all highly trained, masked vigilante crimefighters) so sometimes, these sarcastic comments struck a nerve the kids probably didn’t intend to.

Except for Jason. Each card he received (the fact Jason was around to even send him a card still made Bruce want to weep inside) was carefully selected and clearly indicative of his feelings toward Bruce at that particular point in time. 

This year, his Father’s Day card was unlike any he’d seen before. 

_Dad, this year your Father’s Day gift is another year of not having to pay for my wedding. You’re welcome!_

Bruce set the card aside and picked up his phone, perplexed over the few lines of bold text. Most of his kids enjoyed seeing his reaction, taking as much joy in the moment as they did the ribbing from each other. Jason never hung around when he opened his cards, preferring to leave them in places he knew they'd be found. Had he been in a relationship this year? Did anyone in the family know? The only possible person who might have would be Tim and he hadn’t said a word. Not that Bruce would expect him to if Jason had said it was a secret. Tim loved secrets almost as much as he loved knowing he knew something no one else did.

He tapped the screen a few times, pulling up Jason’s number. The odds were against his son answering a call from him, but Bruce felt the need to try. 

Surprisingly, Jason did, the sound of the wind indicating he was outside, either on patrol or at ease on some rooftop, taking in the night. “Whaddya want, old man?”

Bruce ignored the lazy tone his son preferred to hide behind. “I read your card.”

“What about it?”

“Who broke your heart?”

Silence. It dragged on for so long Bruce had to pull the phone away from his ear to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. 

“What makes you think there are any pieces left of my heart that are big enough to break?” Jason finally asked.

“Because I know you feel more than you let on. That you feel more strongly than possibly any of us.” 

“You want to talk about emotions, Bruce? You can’t even talk about your own, what makes you think I want to share mine with you?”

Bruce sighed and closed his eyes. It was always like this with Jason. He deserved all of that, he really did. But he held on to the belief that Jason wanted to talk, perhaps even needed to, because he did answer his call. “I’ve had my fair share of failed relationships, Jay. And each and every one of them was because I let my mask get in the way.”

Jason was silent for a time before he spoke again. “I didn’t want them to get hurt because of me.”

This was territory Bruce was very familiar with. “Did they?”

“Yeah.”

“Are they okay?”

“They will be. Eventually.”

Bruce nodded, understanding the pain his son was going through. He never intended for any of the women he loved to get hurt, but somehow, it always seemed to happen. His children though, if he could spare them that and the loneliness that came with the mask, he would in a heartbeat. 

If only it were that easy. 

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. This life… it’s not an easy one. But you know that and you know the risks better than any of us. To love someone, even a person who is fully capable of sharing the world we live in, it’s the most dangerous thing we’ll ever do.”

Jason snorted. “When did you get to be so wise, old man?”

“I’ve got more than a few miles under my belt.” Bruce rose and crossed the floor to stand before the window, looking out into the night. Nearly moonless nights like these were always Selina’s favorite for prowling around. But he forced himself from wandering down that path. This was about Jason, not him. “Would you like to come over for a drink? We don’t have to talk about what happened, but if you want to, I’ll listen.”

This time, he heard Jason sigh heavily through the line. “Anyone else there?”

“Just Alfred.”

“Gimme thirty minutes.” Then, before he hung up, Jason spoke again. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You’re welcome, son.”


End file.
